Medley Footbridge is a pedestrian bridge across the River Thames near the village of Binsey in Oxford, England. It is also known as Rainbow Bridge, although there is another bridge of that name in the University Parks in Oxford.
Medley Footbridge | |
|---|---|
 Medley Footbridge looking north from the Thames towpath | |
| Coordinates | 51°45′50″N 1°16′49″W / 51.763888°N 1.280303°W |
| Crosses | River Thames |
| Locale | Oxford |
| Official name | Rainbow Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch |
| Material | Iron |
| Height | 10 feet 0 inches (3.05 m)[1] |
| No. of spans | 1 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1865 |
| Location | |
 | |
The bridge bears a plaque with a misspelling which apparently gave rise to a third name, the 'Subscription Bridge':[2]
This bridge was erected by public subs[c]ription through the exertion and during the shrievalty of Henry Grant Esquire. A.D. 1865.[3]
A second plaque, using the name Rainbow Bridge, records its restoration in 1997.
The bridge joins the west bank of the river to Fiddler's Island in the stream. There is another bridge linking the island to the east bank, just above the point at which the Castle Mill Stream diverges to the east of the navigable channel. The name Medley for the west bank of the Thames at this point designates the 'middle island' between Osney and Binsey.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ River Thames Alliance. Bridge heights on the River Thames.
- ^ Davies, Mark (2001). A Towpath Walk in Oxford. Oxford: Oxford Towpath Press. p. 85.
- ^ Popkin, Michael (2001). "Oxford Inscriptions". Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ Davies. A Towpath Walk in Oxford, p. 78.